Editor's Note: Xenosaga: Episode III is a direct sequel. Story information for the third game will spoil the first two.

Bandai Namco Games today announced the latest batch of information regarding its upcoming PlayStation 2 RPG, Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra (Thus spoke Zarathustra). The Monolith Soft-developed title will feature various flashbacks detailing the past of protagonist Shion Uzuki, her former fiance Kevin Winnicot, and Febronia. A new character set to appear in the game is a young girl by the name of May Magus.

The flashbacks focusing on Shion will tell the story of an eight year old girl living on Old Miltia. With her mother hospitalized and her dad busy at work, the young Shion is forced to spend the days on her own. Hence, she begins to grow flowers in a flower bed before her mom's hospital. There she runs into her future Vector Industries colleauge and lover, Kevin. Despite being only 14 at that time, Kevin is already working as an assitant to Joachim Mizrahi at the U-TIC facility. By that time he had already developed the basic design for KOS-MOS. Despite being an assitant to Joachim, the young man was already holding secret talks with Margulis and Sellers and was involved in dangerous experiments. Screenshots also show Shion's father talking to Kevin in the presence of Margulis. Similar to Virgil, Kevin regards Realians as mere consumables.

Febronia was a special next-generation type of Realian developed by Joachim. She has looked over the young Shion while her mother was hospitalized. While praying at a church, she meets a wounded 18-year old Virgil and saves his life. As the Miltian Accident begins, Virgil tells the young Shion to escape, while he is fighting the attacking URTVs.

The 19-year old May lives in a mine together with her grandfather, after her parents died when she was just a child. The tomboyish girl guards the mine with her mech. When Shion and her party arrive at the mine, May mistakes them for U-TIC agents and attacks them.

Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra will be available in Japan on July 6th for 6,980 yen ($60.73 USD). A US release is scheduled to follow this fall.

• GameWatch